PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
UN report says murders high in parts of Africa, Americas
New York, US (PANA) - The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report unveiled Thursday that young men in Southern and Central Africa, as well as in Central and South America are most at risk of being killed in cases of intentional homicide, while women face increased likelihood of being murdered in domestic violence.
A statement on the report, entitled: "UNODC’s Global Study on Homicide", said: "Evidence points to rising homicide rates in this African and the Americas regions, which are near crisis point."
The statement, which was obtained by PANA in New York, quoted the agency as blaming the proliferation of firearms for the rising murder rates in those regions, where almost three quarters of all homicides are committed with guns, compared to 21 per cent in Europe.
"Men face a much higher risk of violent death (11.9 per 100,000) than women (2.6 per 100,000), although there are variations between countries and regions,'' it noted
It also said: "In countries with high murder rates, especially involving firearms, such as in Central America, one in 50 males, aged 20, will be killed before they reach the age of 31 – several hundred times higher than in some parts of Asia."
The report also noted that, "worldwide, 468,000 homicides occurred last year. Some 36 per cent of all homicides take place in Africa, 31 per cent in the Americas, 27 per cent in Asia, five per cent in Europe and one per cent in Oceania.
"Countries with wide income disparities are four times more likely to be afflicted by violent crime than more equitable societies. Conversely, economic growth seems to stem that tide, as the past 15 years in South America have shown.
"Chronic crime is both a major cause and result of poverty, insecurity and under-development, the study points out. Crime drives away business, erodes human capital and destabilizes society,'' it stated.
Yury Fedotov, the UNODC Executive Director, also said: "To achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), crime prevention policies should be combined with economic and social development and democratic governance based on the rule of law."
Fedotov said that, "sudden dips in the economy can drive up homicide rates. In selected countries, more murders occurred during the financial crisis of 2008/09, coinciding with declining gross domestic product (GDP), higher consumer price index and more unemployment.
"Last year, 42 per cent of homicides were committed with firearms – 74 per cent of them in the Americas and 21 per cent in Europe. Gun crime is driving violent crime in Central America and the Caribbean – the only region where the evidence points to rising homicide rates,'' he said.
He stated that, "it is crucial that measures to prevent crime should include policies towards the ratification and implementation of the Firearms Protocol."
Fedotov, however, stressed that although 89 states are parties to the protocol, which supplements the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, many more countries could accede to that legal instrument.
The UNODC said that organized crime, especially drug trafficking accounted for a quarter of deaths caused by firearms in the Americas, compared to only five per cent of homicides in Asia and Europe.
"That does not mean, however, that organized crime groups are not active in those two regions but rather that they may be operating in ways that do not employ lethal violence to the same extent,'' it said.
The report also said: "Crime and violence are also strongly associated with large youthful populations, especially in developing countries. While 6.9 persons per 100,000 are killed each year globally, the rate for young male victims is three times higher (21.1 per 100,000).
"Young men are more likely to own weapons and engage in street crime, take part in gang warfare and commit drug-related offences,'' it stated.
"Globally, some 80 per cent of homicide victims and perpetrators are men. But, whereas men are more likely to be killed in public places, women are mainly murdered at home, as in Europe, where half of all female victims were killed by a family member. In Europe, women comprised almost 80 per cent of all people killed by a current or former partner in 2008,'' the report concluded.
-0- PANA AA/BOS 6Oct2011
A statement on the report, entitled: "UNODC’s Global Study on Homicide", said: "Evidence points to rising homicide rates in this African and the Americas regions, which are near crisis point."
The statement, which was obtained by PANA in New York, quoted the agency as blaming the proliferation of firearms for the rising murder rates in those regions, where almost three quarters of all homicides are committed with guns, compared to 21 per cent in Europe.
"Men face a much higher risk of violent death (11.9 per 100,000) than women (2.6 per 100,000), although there are variations between countries and regions,'' it noted
It also said: "In countries with high murder rates, especially involving firearms, such as in Central America, one in 50 males, aged 20, will be killed before they reach the age of 31 – several hundred times higher than in some parts of Asia."
The report also noted that, "worldwide, 468,000 homicides occurred last year. Some 36 per cent of all homicides take place in Africa, 31 per cent in the Americas, 27 per cent in Asia, five per cent in Europe and one per cent in Oceania.
"Countries with wide income disparities are four times more likely to be afflicted by violent crime than more equitable societies. Conversely, economic growth seems to stem that tide, as the past 15 years in South America have shown.
"Chronic crime is both a major cause and result of poverty, insecurity and under-development, the study points out. Crime drives away business, erodes human capital and destabilizes society,'' it stated.
Yury Fedotov, the UNODC Executive Director, also said: "To achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), crime prevention policies should be combined with economic and social development and democratic governance based on the rule of law."
Fedotov said that, "sudden dips in the economy can drive up homicide rates. In selected countries, more murders occurred during the financial crisis of 2008/09, coinciding with declining gross domestic product (GDP), higher consumer price index and more unemployment.
"Last year, 42 per cent of homicides were committed with firearms – 74 per cent of them in the Americas and 21 per cent in Europe. Gun crime is driving violent crime in Central America and the Caribbean – the only region where the evidence points to rising homicide rates,'' he said.
He stated that, "it is crucial that measures to prevent crime should include policies towards the ratification and implementation of the Firearms Protocol."
Fedotov, however, stressed that although 89 states are parties to the protocol, which supplements the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, many more countries could accede to that legal instrument.
The UNODC said that organized crime, especially drug trafficking accounted for a quarter of deaths caused by firearms in the Americas, compared to only five per cent of homicides in Asia and Europe.
"That does not mean, however, that organized crime groups are not active in those two regions but rather that they may be operating in ways that do not employ lethal violence to the same extent,'' it said.
The report also said: "Crime and violence are also strongly associated with large youthful populations, especially in developing countries. While 6.9 persons per 100,000 are killed each year globally, the rate for young male victims is three times higher (21.1 per 100,000).
"Young men are more likely to own weapons and engage in street crime, take part in gang warfare and commit drug-related offences,'' it stated.
"Globally, some 80 per cent of homicide victims and perpetrators are men. But, whereas men are more likely to be killed in public places, women are mainly murdered at home, as in Europe, where half of all female victims were killed by a family member. In Europe, women comprised almost 80 per cent of all people killed by a current or former partner in 2008,'' the report concluded.
-0- PANA AA/BOS 6Oct2011
